Mafia Lord's Mute Sweetheart

Chapter 188: Chapter 188 Who is he, sister-in-law?

A moment later, Daisy approached him. The moment he noticed her walking in his direction, his expression softened almost imperceptibly. The usual sharpness in his green eyes faded, replaced by a hint of gentleness.

He gave her a small nod, his posture relaxing slightly as she drew nearer.

Daisy stopped in front of him and smiled politely. She lifted her hands and gestured, asking whether he was enjoying the party. Her movements were fluid and graceful, the signs coming naturally.

Alessio understood enough to answer with a nod. "Yeah. I’m enjoying it."

Daisy smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. She looked around briefly before gesturing again, asking if he was feeling alright. Her brows furrowed slightly with concern, a habit she had developed whenever she worried about someone.

Alessio nodded once more. "I’m fine."

Daisy tilted her head slightly. Something about him seemed different tonight.

He was usually more comfortable teasing her, making dry comments, or giving her that faintly amused smile whenever she reacted to something he said.

But tonight he seemed unusually quiet. His usual confidence was muted, replaced by something more reserved. He was standing there with his hands in his pockets, his shoulders slightly tensed, as if he was holding something back.

She looked at him curiously, her eyes searching his face.

Alessio noticed her expression. "What?"

Daisy shook her head and smiled, gesturing that nothing was wrong.

He studied her for a moment. The truth was, he simply didn’t know what to say.

She looked beautiful tonight. The soft light-blue dress suited her far too well, hugging her figure in all the right places without being too revealing. The fabric caught the warm glow of the chandeliers, making her skin appear almost luminous.

The way her hair was styled, loose and soft around her shoulders, framed her face perfectly and the small silver pendant at her neck caught the light whenever she moved.

He had spent plenty of time around dangerous men, negotiated with people who could barely hide their fear of him and handled situations where one wrong word could have serious consequences. Yet standing in front of Daisy, he suddenly couldn’t think of anything interesting to say. His mind had gone completely blank, and every word he considered felt inadequate.

Daisy waited patiently, her eyes still fixed on him, a small, questioning smile on her lips.

Alessio cleared his throat. "You look..." He stopped.

Daisy’s eyebrows lifted, her curiosity piqued.

He looked away for a second before finishing. "Nice."

Daisy blinked. Then her cheeks slowly turned pink, a soft blush spreading across her fair skin. She lowered her eyes and gave him a shy smile, her lashes casting delicate shadows on her cheeks. The warmth in her chest spread, unexpected but not unwelcome.

Alessio’s lips curved faintly. He silently cursed himself for choosing such a simple word when there were a hundred better ones. But seeing her smile made him forget about the mistake almost immediately.

His mind had gone completely blank.

He simply stood there looking at Daisy, his usual composed expression still on his face but there was something almost strangely innocent in his eyes. He seemed to have completely forgotten what he was supposed to say next.

Daisy stared at him for a few seconds. Then she couldn’t help herself. A soft giggle escaped her.

Alessio blinked.

Daisy quickly covered her mouth but her eyes were already shining with amusement. She had never seen him like this before. This was the same man who could walk into a room full of intimidating people and make everyone fall silent with nothing more than one cold look. Yet right now, this tall, intimidating man was standing in front of her like he had forgotten how conversations worked.

She pointed at him teasingly, her expression clearly asking what had happened to him.

Alessio narrowed his eyes slightly. "What?"

Daisy shook her head, still smiling.

He studied her face for another moment before realizing she was laughing at him. "You think this is funny?"

Daisy nodded, her eyes bright with mischief.

His eyebrows lifted. "You’re making fun of me?"

She nodded again, this time even more enthusiastically, her ponytail bouncing with the motion.

A faint smile finally appeared on his lips. "You’re getting braver, little hamster."

Daisy’s eyes widened. She immediately pointed accusingly at him, reminding him that she had already objected to that nickname. Her finger jabbed in his direction, her expression mock-serious.

Alessio gave her an innocent look. "What? It’s cute."

Before Daisy could respond, a familiar voice suddenly interrupted them.

"Hello!"

Liam approached with an easy smile, completely unaware that he was walking directly into the middle of a very private little moment. He was dressed casually but smartly, his hair slightly messy as if he had just run his fingers through it.

He looked at Daisy first, his smile warm. Then at Alessio, his curiosity piqued. Then back at Daisy. "Who is he, sister-in-law?"

The moment the words left Liam’s mouth, Alessio’s expression changed. His eyes shifted and something cold flickered in their depths.

Sister-in-law?

His eyes slowly shifted toward Liam. The amusement disappeared from his face. His posture straightened slightly and his jaw tightened.

Liam’s smile remained for approximately two seconds before he felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine. He looked at Alessio. The man wasn’t saying anything. He was simply staring at him with no expression. Somehow, that was worse.

Liam swallowed. For a ridiculous moment, he felt as though a snake had fixed its eyes on him.

Why is this guy looking at me like that?

Daisy noticed the awkward silence and immediately pointed toward Alessio, trying to break the tension.

Alessio finally looked away from Liam and calmly introduced himself. "Alessio. Daisy’s best friend."

Liam blinked. Then his expression brightened. "Ohhh!" He looked at Daisy with an approving smile. "Your best friend?"

Daisy nodded, relieved that the tension had eased.

Liam smiled even more. "Nice to meet you, man." He extended his hand.

Alessio looked at it for a brief moment before taking it. "Likewise."

Their hands met. Liam gave him a friendly shake. Alessio returned it politely, although his eyes remained slightly narrowed.

Liam, meanwhile, had no idea why he suddenly felt as though he had just completed some sort of dangerous business negotiation.

He released Alessio’s hand and smiled awkwardly. "You’re very tall."

Alessio stared at him. "...Thank you?"

Liam laughed. "I don’t know why I said that."

Daisy covered her mouth again, trying not to laugh. Her shoulders shook with silent laughter.

Alessio glanced at her. The moment he saw her amused expression, his irritation disappeared. He shook his head slightly. "Your friends are strange."

Daisy’s eyes curved happily. She nodded in agreement, her smile wide.

Liam looked between them. "Hey, I heard that."

Daisy giggled again, the sound soft and infectious.